Eat, Drink, Be Merry and RSVP for SMCLA’s Meet the Foodies Holiday Party – Dec. 17!

It’s our most popular event of the year and the hottest ticket of the season! Social Media Club Los Angeles presents “Meet the Foodies,” Tuesday, Dec. 17, a holiday party featuring famous food bloggers and brand reps, accompanied by a smorgasbord of tasty dishes and drink, networking, raffle prizes, and more surprises.PANEL: “Meet the Foodies” with Elina Shatkin, Caroline Pardilla, Chef Kajsa Alger, Apryl Delancey, and Becky Slade Yoshitani!DATE/TIME: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.LOCATION: Cross Campus, 820 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (plenty of free street parking in the area – check street signs)RSVP on Eventbrite: https://smclameetthefoodies.eventbrite.comCHARITY: Food drive for Los Angeles Regional Food Bank – see belowBright Lights – Our Expert PanelistsSocial media have created massive, wildly devoted audiences among foodies who love engaging with food bloggers and brands online. What are the best practices for targeting and reaching foodies? What are the platforms and measurement tools? And how do you gauge success across an audience with such diverse tastes?Joining us to discuss engaging with this fun, but crucial audience are:Caroline Pardilla – blogger, “Caroline on Crack” and at Los Angeles Magazine. Caroline has been covering LA nightlife for her namesake blog since 2005. She is also the Digest Blogger for Los Angeles Magazine, covering LA’s drinking scene. She’s received the 2012 LA Weekly Web Award for Best Bar Blogger, and even has her own LA bar iPhone app. She has contributed to the LA Weekly’s Squid Ink, LAist, LA Confidential and BBC Travel Los Angeles, and served briefly as the weekend events announcer on Carson Daly’s AMP Mornings radio show. Connect with her at @CarolineonCrack.Apryl Delancey – director of Marketing & Social Media, Blaze PR. Apryl leads marketing and social media activities for Blaze PR, a boutique agency in Santa Monica that handles clients under the lifestyle umbrella (sports, hospitality, food/restaurant, entertainment). She’s also a Top 3 finalist for the 2013 PR News Social Media Professional of the Year. Previously, Apryl worked on the Nissan/Infiniti social media strategy with TBWA\Chiat\Day and on the digital marketing of Toyota and Bank of America with RAPP LA. When she’s not working on one of her three screens in the office, you can find her surfing or hanging out with her husband and two dogs (a pitbull & a bloodhound). Find Apryl at @BlazePRTeam.Kajsa Alger – executive chef/co-owner, Mud Hen Tavern. Kajsa is Susan Feniger’s partner at Mud Hen Tavern, a neighborhood bar and restaurant that will open on December 7, 2013. Prior to that, she held the same position at STREET, which opened in 2009 and was known for its wide array of street food from around the world. With more than 20 years of culinary experience and frequent travel exploring ethnic marketplaces, Kajsa has developed an incredibly vast knowledge of spices and globally influenced cuisine. Kajsa’s long association with Susan, her understanding of operational and financial systems, and her creative passion for simple, colloquial foods have made for a fun and fruitful partnership that allows for both to continue exploring and sharing their culinary passions. Follow her on Twitter at @ChefKajsa.Los Angeles Magazine Senior Editor Elina Shatkin will be on hand to moderate. Elina is a journalist, writer and occasional filmmaker. Currently, a senior editor at Los Angeles magazine, she was previously a restaurant critic for LA Weekly and briefly a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Her work has appeared in The Believer, Bitch, HiLobrow and EAT: Los Angeles, among other publications, and on the radio at KCRW and KPCC. She is writing an unauthorized biography of Jem and the Holograms. See what she’s tweeting at @ElinaShatkin.Becky Slade Yoshitani – chief marketing officer for Hurry Curry of Tokyo will be rounding out our panel. Find Becky at @HurryCurryTokyo.Bring Canned Goods for the Needy, Receive a FREE Raffle TicketWe’re rewarding good deeds by giving a free raffle ticket to anyone who brings canned goods to donate to our Food Drive for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. We’re hoping to collect 100 pounds of canned goods for the Food Bank at our party (though, if you forget a can, a check made out to the LA Regional Food Bank will be rewarded, too).Help us reach our goal on behalf of LA’s most needy. Your generous donation goes directly to feed children, families, seniors, and individuals in the Southland.Suggested items to donate:

• canned protein, such as tuna, sardines, stews, and soups
• peanut butter and jelly
• canned fruits and vegetables
• fruit juices
• staples, such as beans, rice and pasta
• personal care items, including lotion, deodorant and toothpaste

Thank you for helping us toward our Food Drive goal!! Follow this great organization on Twitter at @LAFoodBank.We’ll Be Popping Corks Instead of Wassailing…Thanks to these Fantastic Sponsors!Comerica Bank is a generous sponsor of this year’s spectacular SMCLA Meet the Foodies Holiday Party. Give them some love on Twitter at @ComericaCares.You’ll be sipping in style thanks to the generous donation of bubbly by Vina Sympatica (@VinaSympatica).Do you like it spicy or mild? Whatever makes your tastebuds tingle, our good friends at Hurry Curry of Tokyo (@hurrycurrytokyo) are cooking up a festive array of dishes to remember!And the nice folks at Pretzel Crisps (@PretzelCrisps) are providing the nibbly bits!So, grab your bestie, your colleagues, your favorite foodie friends, your phone for selfies, and join us for the party of the season! RSVP today: https://smclameetthefoodies.eventbrite.com